NORTH BERGEN, N.J. (AP) - A former corrections officer accused of killing a prospective state legislative candidate and a Republican Party official in a hit-and-run accident has pleaded guilty to death by auto charges.
Hudson County prosecutors will recommend Michael Hansen get a 20-year prison term when he’s sentenced Aug. 2. The plea deal calls for him to get 10-year sentences for each death, with the terms served consecutively.
The charges Hansen pleaded guilty to on Friday stem from a 2017 crash in North Bergen.
Prosecutors have said the North Bergen man struck and killed Marie Tauro and Russell Maffei. Tauro had planned to seek the GOP nomination for an Assembly seat. Maffei was the Jersey City Republican Party chairman.
Authorities say Hansen fled the scene but was found several hours later at his home.
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